Who would have thought that seeing a funny picture would lead to the development of an annual event during the Holidays that helps many children in the Atlanta area every year? But that’s the origin of “12 Days of Liftmas,” created by Peter Tongren, the Head Strength and Conditioning Coordinator at Holy Innocents Episcopal School. Coach Tongren’s mission has been to create fun for his athletes during Holiday Season and, at the same time, provide Christmas joy to children in their community.
Five years ago, Peter saw a photo of a coach lifting with ugly Christmas sweaters. Tongren recalls: “I’ve always loved a good theme, so I thought, ‘Let’s go!’ We try to have everyone participating in dress up in some Holiday attire no matter their religious affiliation. Lots of ugly sweaters, PJ pants, “Elf,” “Christmas Vacation” Shirts/Sweaters, and Christmas Light necklaces, etc.—Crank that Christmas music as loud as possible and have a ball.”
Tongren created the “12 Days of Liftmas Workout” for his student-athletes, a 12-set waterfall-style workout that takes about 25-30 minutes. He explains, “Like the song, it is 1 rep of one exercise, then 2 reps of another PLUS the 1 of the first. Then 3 of the next exercise, 2 of the second, then 1 on the first. On and On until 12 reps, 11 reps, 10…..etc, to 1 rep of the first exercise. It follows the traditional Christmas song to a T. We also have a bodyweight style version and a repeatable three-exercise version depending on the athlete and equipment needs.”
Liftmas are always held the last two days before exam week and winter break. Because of their rotating schedule, Tongren has eight classes within two days, so all his classes participate. “In-season athletes will do a modified version,” he says. “Last year, we had 220 athletes. This year we will have about 190 because of scheduling.”
The best part of “12 Days of Liftmas” is that it is a Toy Drive for needy families in the community. Coach Tongren asks his students to donate a toy costing around $10 for families that “don’t have the means we do here at Holy Innocents.”
“I don’t know the dollar amount of the toys donated, but I would say it’s between $2,000-$4,000 each year,” says Tongren. “Talking to the athletes after about how much these toys put a smile on someone’s face is easily the most rewarding thing about ’12 Days of Liftmas.’
“We have everyone dress up in some sort of holiday attire regardless of their religious affiliation,” Tongren continues. “We’ve had ugly sweaters, pajama pants, elves, Christmas necklaces, and so on. I always tell the kids not to be ‘too cool for school’ to dress up and get into the event, he continues, “but that has shifted more to the idea that I would rather you bring a toy and be in our regular weight training attire, than dress up and not bring something for someone else.”
Tongren and his student-athletes begin discussing and planning for Liftmas on the first day of the school year. And the event has spawned our other “themed” workouts,” such as Crypt Keepers Revenge” (the students dress up in their Halloween outfits and listen to scary movie theme songs); and “Spring Break and Sunnies” (the week before spring break, they wear board shorts, Hawaiian shirts, and sunglasses and listen to Bob Marley, Jimmy Buffett, and other beach-related music).
But “12 Days of Liftmas” is, and will always be, the cornerstone of Coach Tongren’s desire to have fun with his athletes and give back to area families. He plans to invite all faculty for a particular day to participate, donate to the toy drive, and then have a community lift to expand the giving further. “I would love for it to be a big thing that our Holy Innocents’ community/family gets behind,” he says. “This event has become a passion for me and so many others.”
